Thursday, September 18, 2014

A Great Start to the School Year! 2014




The start to this school year has been filled with goals and progress. The girls started strong in school this year. They love their teachers and have awesome friends that are in  their classes this year.

Madi, Lexi, and Mia so excited for the first  day of school!

Lexi has made a great group of friends, Josh, Izzy, and Avery, that she hangs out with every day in and out of school. They enjoy doing parcore, hanging out and doing tricks on their bikes.
Lexi's favorite subjects in school are Science and Math. She has been busy finishing up her application to ANSEP where she will further her studies in Math, Science and Engineering at UAA through the program. Lexi loves helping out around the house too and has been learning how to cook as well.

Lexi writing up her essay for ANSEP
Lexi cooking spaghetti 

Mia loves school and studies on her own. She likes Math, Reading, and Science. She has been reading so much that we are constantly having to get her new books. She also loves doing Math work sheets on her down time for fun. She has a great group of friends, Marina, Dylan, Alex and Alexis that she hangs out with in and out of school. She is also playing soccer this year.

Mia ready to practice soccer after her game.
Mia cuddling with Merek while doing a Math worksheet on her own time.

Madison is learning new concepts in Math and loving the new challenges this year is offering her. Her best friend is a girl named Mia. They hang out with a boy named Toby too. Madi loves cuddling with Merek and showing him new things. When Madi is home she loves listening to music and playing learning games on her Leap Pad. She also really loves climbing in our bouldering gym. She has gotten so strong from climbing and she loves finishing routes she really had to work hard for.

Madi climbing in the gym

Madi on the beam and getting over her fear of being upside down.


Merek is growing fast and is smart as a whip like his sisters. He loves to "chat" with his mama who in turn chats back and makes him laugh hysterically. He is almost mobile, he is trying hard to crawl, but until then he can scoot and roll over. He just started eating cereal. He loves being outside and he likes to look outside when he cant be outside. Hes constantly fascinated by the world around him and watches everything. He sometimes talks and it sounds just like the words we say to him, Nic and the girls swear that he says mama when hes upset and crying out sounds lol.

Merek in his high chair ready for lunch


Nap time

Nic and Natalie finished up designing and cutting in the second section of single track biking trails at Tsalteshi, then turned their attention to the fall and winter projects.

We have been super busy with the kiddos, projects around the house, and with our new business teaching bouldering. We got our business licence and are on the rise with new students.
We have been  building volumes for the climbing wall, setting routes, teaching class, picking new holds for the gym, and designing the add on to our gym that we plan on building this winter. Nic also finished building a folded horn speaker which sounds amazing!


Our business licence :) 

Nic cutting trail

Natalie and Merek mclouding the trail after Nic cuts it

Natalie and Merek at the trails, taking a break from moving all the fresh cut and polishing 

Nic fixing some corners on the trail



Nic and his folded horn speaker

the inside of the speaker



With Merek sleeping through the night more Nat has has been able to enjoy a few days of being able to do her hair which to those mamas out there know that even small moments such as that are a real refresher sometimes for all the hard work!

Natalie after she was able to get a moment of free time to do her hair 

Natalie teaching class

We also painted some ascent walls in our home making it look fantastic. The girls also got their own rooms this fall so all the kids have their own rooms and the girls have their own bathroom.

When we are not busy with kids, business and projects we go downstairs into the climbing gym and train. We enjoy setting challenges for one another and training hard together. Merek loves watching us climb too.

We are constantly looking up and finding deals on ebay for ice climbing, running shoes for next year, and climbing gear/outwear. We also like looking up places to ice climb and adventures we can take in the near future.

 Aside from that we love watching movies and relaxing with the kids and having our family dinners where we can share and discuss all our days events and plans as a family. The life we have made down here is seriously awesome and our little family looks forward to another great year of progress and accomplishments!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Dirt Bag Climbing Trip


 Our climbing trip, July 2014, which included areas from Purinton Creek to Byron in Alaska. It was a ton of fun for the whole family! We got to climb many different places and different types of routes and rock as well as enjoy the views, the sites and grab some adventure! :)
The girls stretching out at our camp site near the base of the crag at Purinton Creek.





All smiles that we made it!



Here we are!

Some of the crag near were we stayed. Natalie was checking out a possible solo for herself...

The approach to the crag...





Nat saying yeah check out this approach!

The girls setting up camp....

Team work!



That evening, right off from the pull off of the Glenn Highway, the rock walls are to the right



Madi, Merek in his new ergo which saved our shoulders, and nat



Natalie with Merek; Stoked!

It wouldn't be an official trip without Madi and Mia posing lol!







Nic helping Lex with the rest of the tent job:)







The girls climbing rocks behind out camp while we prepare dinner.

Merek stretching out on the crash pad.





Nat and all the kids at our lil home for the next couple days.

Night time, Natalie and Merek by the camp fire.



Madi getting warm between runs of fetching wood for the fire.



Natalie and Merek in the rain the next morning. As Nat predicted, in the late morning the sun came out and the weather held so we could hit the crag.





Merek crashed out for his late morning nap while we got gear ready for the day.

All our gear



Nat belaying Nic

Nic on Red Road 

The view from the belay station






Mia on Red Road




Mia higher up on red road

Madi trying out the harness while later on we taught her how to repel and to trust her rope. Unfortunately our camera died after this and we didnt get pics of Lex and Natalie climbing this route that day.

That evening Madi found a stick that she said looked like Harry Potters broom so Nic gave it a go LOL!



And it broke LOL!

Mias version of gathering logs for the fire LOL! Later she said she was working out for climbing lol!



The girls the next day at Chikaloon on an old bridge they don't use for driving on anymore.






Us on the bridge



The size of it compared to our car.

The girls at the river across the road from the Chikaloon Boulders






The girls having fun! 

Us and merek by the river






Merek saying "ok what do i do now mom?" 
"Oh dads taking a pic!"

"Let me show you how this is is done!"



Merek happy on the rock:)



Lex playing on the boulder

Yeah!

Going to the boulders at Chikaloon

Nat bouldering at Chikaloon

Nic bouldering at Chikaloon....
Thunder Fluff



Nic on another boulder route at Chikaloon




Lex and Merek

Nic on another boulder at Chikaloon

And another route with yet another death sit start lol


We headed back to Puriton that evening and scouted out some more routes on the wall. This one is called Fine Line.


This one is Garvey's Slab.

The view from the base of the rock wall


This one is called The High Roof



This is trail along the base of the wall!

The trail going down, be careful cause there's overgrowth on talus here so watch your steps!

The belay station for The Fine Line: who said you ever needed more than a couple feet and to be more than 200 feet up isn't a solid belay station LOL! Yeah!

After leaving Purinton Creek we headed to a cave on the Turnagain Arm which the whole family enjoyed climbing that day, We hit it just right as the tide was out so we had hours to climb there that day.









Nic climbing the cave







Nic gettin the edge





Nat belaying Nic









Nic climbing and Natalie belaying at the cave

Nic getting his footing higher to get the next holds

Lexs turn, we top roped the first bolt for the kids to again get comfortable on the rope and at this climbing spot they really got the hang of and had fun repelling and getting higher than one another on the route. We are sure too that being on solid ground helped the confidence in the kiddos that day :) 




Mia going for it



Mia feeling for the ledge


Madi going for it

The view from the cave

Madi coming down after pushing off the wall



Natalie going up and Nic belaying her



Found good foot ledges 

After the tide came in that evening at the cave we headed to Byron Glacier

Awesome campground at Byron with super nice pathways to walk and sight see the glacier


We set up camp, Nic made a fire and the kids found a tree to climb lol!



Nic and Nat and Merek standing behind our camp site, we both about broke our necks trying to stand on this slimy stump! Behind us is a creek and above that a glacier to the left.

The first view of Byron Glacier while on the trail in. Mia looking a bit astonished that yes we have been here before, a year ago lol!





Past the trail into the Byron Glacier valley


Here we are!



Oh Yeah!
This was right before the glacier creek crossing. We crossed both sections behind Nat and the kids in this picture. The crag is up and to the left.













This is where we were, its the main wall below us. Again we are hundreds of feet above the ground but at the base of the wall, another pretty sketch approach.

The approach trail.....








A old man on the main wall, he soloed it and repelled down but man he was fast! One minute he was on the approach then the next he was up the wall! Props!

Nat looking for holds up there...

Lex trying to figure out the holds, the wall was very glassy with tiny crimps and slippery sloppers 

End of the day, leaving the crag


The girls having a great time! 


Nic and Nat and Merek in his trusty ergo carrier yet again that thing saved my shoulders, on the other hand poor Nic was hauling all the gear so he was pretty wore out by the end!

Nic made a rock bridge for the girls where we could and here hes helping Madi over the creek and the final crossing.